16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying 6 and singing hymns to God, 7 and the rest of 8 the prisoners were listening to them.
1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.
1:2 My brothers and sisters, 11 consider it nothing but joy 12 when you fall into all sorts of trials,
1:1 From James, 13 a slave 14 of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. 15 Greetings!
4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town 16 and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”
1 tn Grk “because behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this clause has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
2 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
3 sn Mistreatment of the prophets is something Luke often notes (Luke 11:47-51; Acts 7:51-52).
4 sn That is, considered worthy by God. They “gloried in their shame” of honoring Jesus with their testimony (Luke 6:22-23; 2 Macc 6:30).
5 sn The name refers to the name of Jesus (cf. 3 John 7).
6 tn Grk “praying, were singing.” The participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
7 sn Praying and singing hymns to God. Tertullian said, “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven” (To the Martyrs 2; cf. Rom 5:3; Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 5:6). The presence of God means the potential to be free (cf. v. 26).
8 tn The words “the rest of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
9 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
10 tn Or “exult, boast.”
11 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). Where the plural term is used in direct address, as here, “brothers and sisters” is used; where the term is singular and not direct address (as in v. 9), “believer” is preferred.
12 tn Grk “all joy,” “full joy,” or “greatest joy.”
13 tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
14 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
15 tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.
16 tn Or “city.”